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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 8 Hansard (28 October) . . Page.. 2319 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

While the amount of waste coming out of eating houses may not be a large proportion of the total waste going to landfill, it is a very visible form of waste to anyone who eats out at places like McDonald's or the food courts in the various malls around town. If people are prepared to reuse and recycle their waste at home, then we see no reason why they should not be prepared to do the same when they go out to eat.

Most people are perfectly happy to use washable plates and cutlery in the vast majority of cafes and restaurants. This Bill simply requires other eateries either to follow suit or to recycle whatever they do use. The eateries that will be most affected are those using environmentally unfriendly items like styrofoam cups or disposable plastic plates and cutlery. Fast food outlets like McDonald's which put packaging around their food rather than provide plates, et cetera, can still do this provided they ensure that this packaging is recycled if the food is eaten on the premises.

I believe that this Bill is a first in Australia. I understand, however, that in Germany a number of McDonald's restaurants have been compelled to introduce non-disposable utensils. The Newcastle City Council earlier this year attempted to impose a condition of consent on a development application for a McDonald's restaurant that the restaurant had to use reusable cutlery and crockery. This move was initiated by a Greens' councillor, but unfortunately the ALP members of the council backed down when McDonald's threatened to appeal to the New South Wales Land and Environment Court. I hope our ACT Labor members show more strength on this important issue. I should also note that the ACT has legislative power which the Newcastle City Council does not, so it would be harder for McDonald's to resist this move here.

Given that this Bill is groundbreaking and is likely to meet resistance from these fast food operations which at present do not take responsibility for all the rubbish they generate, we have attempted to make it as easy as we can for eateries to comply. We have certainly not gone as far as we could in imposing controls on the rubbish generated by eateries. For example, the Bill does not apply to takeaway food sold by eateries. Nor does it apply to prepackaged food items such as sugar packets and drink bottles or small items such as drinking straws. The Bill also gives businesses 12 months to phase in changes to their operations.

Most cafes and restaurants are already using washable crockery and cutlery, and it is about time that the rest made the change. This issue is not just about reducing waste but also about making sure that cafes and restaurants are competing on an even basis. An eatery that has gone to the trouble of buying crockery and cutlery and installing dishwashing equipment should not have its business undermined by eateries that use disposable packaging, plates, cups and cutlery and just throw the lot in the rubbish bin when a meal is finished.

I would prefer that eateries took the initiative themselves to reduce the amount of waste they produce, but unfortunately I think this legislation is required to pull into line those fast food operators who have so far resisted the community's desire to reduce the amount of rubbish generated by our society. It is very important that business and industry take a greater responsibility for minimising the environmental impact of their practices.

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